Circumcision is the only routine surgery performed to supposedly prevent disease. No other surgery is ever considered as an alternative to proper hygiene. It is the only surgery done on children without a diagnosis. A circumcision is the only time parents can insist that a doctor cut off normal, healthy tissue from their child, despite the obvious risk of complications. No other surgery often occurs when the anesthesia is inadequate.

Many American parents are much more anxious about having their newborn’s penis look like his father’s and other boys’ than they are about preventing UTIs and sexually transmitted diseases. The majority of parents just want to make Junior’s junk look “nice”. They are “grossed out” by the sight of a foreskin on their baby.

Foreskin removal was never properly researched for risks and complications before becoming an American standard. Every other surgery that removes a normal part of an organ is understood to cause a loss of function. However, the foreskin is already guilty by association with the organ that scares many people: the penis. Like the primitive peoples before them, they fear that where there is dirt, shame, and sin, disease must surely follow.

The foreskin has been found on every mammal, both male and female, for the last 65 million years. The foreskin covers and protects the head of the penis. The protective and lubricating effects of having a mobile sheath of living tissue as part of one’s genitals are evident to anyone not circumcised. Circumcision removes the foreskin, alters the appearance and sensation of the penis, and creates a visual and functional deficit that lasts a lifetime.